Digital cameras are popular consumer electronic appliances. Unlike traditional cameras, digital cameras capture images using an electronic device called an “image sensor.” The image captured by the image sensor is then digitized and loaded into a memory device. The digital camera applies various image processing techniques to the digital image in the memory device, e.g., noise suppression, color compensation, etc. Finally, the processed image is compressed into a file having a specific format and stored in a non-volatile storage device for subsequent use by other electronic appliances, such as a personal computer (PC), personal digital assistant (PDA), or printer.
A parameter used for evaluating the performance of a digital camera is the click-to-click time, which measures the minimum amount of time that must elapse between two consecutive presses of the shutter button of the digital camera. The shorter the click-to-click time, the more pictures the digital camera can take within a fixed period. Digital cameras with short click-to-click times can take a sequence of pictures in quick succession, mimicking the operation of high-end motorized film cameras. Factors affecting the click-to-click time of a digital camera include the size of its memory and the speeds of the various image data processing procedures performed on the images captured by the camera's image sensor. One goal of the present invention is to provide a digital camera having a reduced click-to-click time and therefore improved performance.